Scores of devotees visit Nepal's Pashupatinath temple on Mahashivaratri

Thousands of devotees thronged Pashupatinath temple here on Monday on the occasion of Mahashivaratri.

The Indian Ambassador also visited the Pashupatinath temple to offer prayers.

The Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) is expecting about one million devotees to celebrate Mahashivaratri at the temple this year.

"We have made arrangements for about one million people belonging to Nepal and other countries, to facilitate their pray," Pradeep Dhakal, the member-secretary of PADT told ANI.

Taking cognizance of the number of devotees expecting to visit the temple, thousands of security personnel are deployed in the zone. Arrangements for the installation of CCTV cameras all around the region have also initiated by the Trust.

Mahashivratri is celebrated on the lunar month of Phalgun and is believed to instil faith in those who are destined to live in trouble. The Skanda Purana, another holy text of the Hindus, also mentions the significance of the event.

The religious belief behind the rituals performed on Shivratri is that if one offers milk along with Dhatura (a kind of intoxicating plant) to Lord Shiva and observes night-long fasting, she/he will receive heavenly blessings and is believed to give great merit to the worshipper.

Four kinds of worships including Mahadip, Akhandadip, Lakshya Batti and Dipotsav as well as an offering of Bael patra are performed in four phases by all the devotees to impress Lord Shiva on this auspicious day for Hindus.